An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology.

• Author: Magness, Jodi
• Position: Book review

An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. By MARCUS MILWRIGHT. The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys. Edinburgh: EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2010. Pp. xii + 260. $105 (cloth); $32.50 (paper).

The publication of this book is a sign that Islamic archaeology is maturing as a discipline in its own right. For the past couple of decades Islamic archaeology has gained increasing visibility in academic circles--for example, Islamic archaeologists have been holding meetings within the framework of the biennial International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. Milwright aptly begins by highlighting the differences between archaeology and related disciplines such as art history and history (under which Islamic archaeology was largely subsumed in the past). He notes that archaeology is particularly well suited for studying long-term changes and processes (la longue duree of the Annales school). Archaeology also provides information about non-elite and rural populations that are not well documented in literary sources.

Milwright defines Islamic archaeology as encompassing regions where the ruling elite professed the faith of Islam, analogous to the use of the terms "Roman archaeology" or "Crusader archaeology." In contrast, in The Archaeology of Islam (1999) Timothy Insoll seeks to identify evidence of Islamic observance and practices in material remains. However, Milwright notes that it is often difficult or impossible to reconstruct religious identity from archaeological remains, and religious symbols or artifacts are not always an indicator of religious affiliation, especially in borderlands. The different approaches are reflected in the titles of their books: "the archaeology of Islam" (Insoll) versus "Islamic archaeology" (Milwright).

Milwright concludes his introductory chapter with a brief history of Islamic archaeology. He notes that colonialist interests dominated field work in the Mediterranean and Middle East during the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, when archaeology played a key role in the formation of national identities. This explains the relatively late emergence of Islamic archaeology as an independent discipline: European and American scholars laid claim to the biblical and classical past as their own but had little interest in the Islamic past. Engagement with the pre-modern Islamic world was largely art historical--limited to the acquisition of glazed pottery and other luxury objects by museums and private collectors. Another sign of archaeology's emergence from the shadow of colonialism is that most archaeological work in the Mediterranean and Middle East nowadays is conducted by indigenous scholars affiliated with local universities or the host country's archaeological service rather than by foreign expeditions.

Milwright's definition of Islamic archaeology encompasses a broad swath of time and space, from the seventh...